ACTAsia has achieved incredible recognition from the UN, with two awards

Why are these awards significant?

These two awards are major news for ACTAsia, as UN accreditation is recognised worldwide – putting ACTAsia’s educational work on the map. The UN acknowledgement signals the way for the Caring for Life (CFL) programme to be rolled out in more schools across China extending our educational reach.  Our current Pioneer schools – who run the CFL education programme for children in Primary schools- are also proud to be associated with this UN recognition and endorsement and it is hoped this will encourage more schools to promote the programme. The Consumer Education campaign award will help to raise global awareness about the dangers of using fur within the fashion industry.

 

What is a UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), for which we won ‘Good Practice’?

SDG’s are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a ‘blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.

Being awarded ‘good practice’ for an SDG is a beacon of endorsement by the UN. In the five years since the 2030 Agenda and SDG being adopted in 2015, many governments, UN entities, international and regional organisations and stakeholders have gained in-depth knowledge and expertise and taken innovative steps towards implementing this ambitious global framework.

How did ACTAsia win a ‘Good Practice’ award for their Caring for Life programme?

In order for ACTAsia’s CFL to be granted ‘good practice’ by the UN, the committee took the following into account:

ACTAsia’s CFL focuses on character education by developing student emotional intelligence relating to the core qualities of empathy, responsibility and discerning thinking. These qualities, in turn, nurture the well-being of children. Later in life, these skills and values result in kindness and respect and translate into a more rewarding, compassionate lifestyle. The project was started in 2012 and has reached over 100,000 children through a network of Pioneer schools. Based on the UNESCO ‘Four Pillars of Education’ ActAsia’s CFL consists of 60 lessons over 6 years of primary grades making them applicable and understandable to children. ACTAsia’s CFL objective is to ensure that the next generation of leaders uses compassion and empathy to lead and consider people, animals and the environment. The curriculum fosters open discussion, critical thinking and inquiry led learning. There is now the potential for this educational approach to be scaled up and integrated into the national curriculum.

ACTAsia sees this UN accreditation as an opportunity to share our vision further for a kinder and more compassionate world, and collaborate and promote both sustainable and character education which will reach more families and surrounding communities.

 

 

What was the Consumer Education award for?

The second UN accreditation was for ACTAsia’s Consumer Education campaign. We have been accepted by the UN into the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network. 

ACTAsia will be responsible for updating our work in the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network annually, in order to highlight the reach and results from our annual activities such as the Compassion in Fashion festival which includes fur-free research, fashion show, forum, and exhibition.

Recognising that the fashion industry is highly polluting in its current form and the use of fur unsustainable, the conscious fashion and lifestyle network aims to connect partners to accelerate action within these industry sectors. ACTAsia’s CEO Pei commented: ‘The fact that our ‘Compassion in Fashion – fur free’ programme has been recognised by the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network and the Partnership is ground-breaking. ACTAsia is the first organisation to successfully put forward the fur issue to the UN as part of the Responsible Consumption Goal. This endorsement really puts this obsolete practice on the global agenda’.

 

What do these awards and UN accreditation mean for ACTAsia’s future?  

The UN SDG recognition is a truly remarkable milestone for ACTAsia.  The organisation has been in operation for 15 years to date, so to receive such an accolade is an incredible achievement and demonstrates the power of ACTAsia’s offering.  With such strong resources and goals in place, ACTAsia looks to these awards as a springboard to achieving our aims and setting future goals that are so close to our hearts.

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